THREE

"When it comes to shooting stuff up, there are very few in the world who are better than Johnnie To." – Twitch

Cornered during a shootout with police, a wanted thug (Wallace Chung) faces a difficult choice: submit to the determined detective (Louis Koo) on his trail, or put a bullet through his brain to avoid further gunfire. He chooses the latter, but his ordeal doesn't end when he's taken to hospital. As he receives medical attention from the surgeon (Vicki Zhao Wei) on duty, he waits for the rest of his gang to arrange his escape.

Trust prolific Hong Kong action master Johnnie To (Election 2, MIFF 2006; Election, MIFF 2005; Breaking News, MIFF 04) to set a cops-versus-criminals showdown in a place of healing – and throw in everything from dark secrets to rogue operations, too – in his return to the gangster genre. Shot without a script, Three not only boasts To's trademark kinetic, stylised and dynamically choreographed aesthetics, but also fine-tuned performances by his key trio of actors, particularly the largely bed-ridden Chung.